Means for producing complete combustion of fuels.



No. 787,552. I PATENTED APR. 18,1905.

J. B. BARRETT,

MEANS FOR PRODUCING COMPLETE COMBUSTION 0F FUELS.

. APPLIOATION FILED APR. 22, 1904.

3 SEEETS-EHEBT 1;

I Q amewliz JB Barrett,

' No. 787,552. PATENTED APR.18, 1905.

' J. B. BARRETT. MEANS FOR PRODUCING COMPLETE COMBUSTION OP FUELS.

APPLICATION 'IILED APR. 22, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' awmntoz No. 787,552. PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

. J. B. BARRETT. MEANS FOR PRODUCING COMPLETE COMBUSTION OF FUELS. I

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1904.

3 SEEBTS-SHEET 3.

a'mwwfoz 7 H lz arreii UNIT D STATES Patented April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. BARRETT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL BOILER IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, OF PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA,=A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

.MEANS FOR PRODUCING COMPLETE COMBUSTION OF FUELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 787,552, dated April 18, 1905. 7 Application filed April 22, 1904. Serial No. 204,312.

To all whmn it 717/017] concern;

Be it known that I, JAMES B. BARRETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Producing Complete Combustion of Fuels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a smoke-consumer and fuel-economizer for furnaces; and it consists in the constructions, combinations, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

' The objects of my invention are to provide a construction in which complete combustion of the fuel will be obtained by means of partial combustion thereof at separate predetermined points, whereby a long and substantially uniform flame will be produced, which is especially adapted for steam-boiler furnaces, and in which the extent or degree of combustion can be regulated entirely independently of the rate of combustion.

A further object of my invention is to 'provide automatic means for preventing the escape of smoke from the furnace-stack during the operation of firing.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which similar reference-symbols indicate corresponding parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a front end elevation illustrating one embodiment of my'invention applied to the furnace of a stationary boiler. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an axial sectional view illustrating one form of regulator employed in my invention. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View, on a larger scale, on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view showing the valve employed with my regulator, and Fig. 7 is a detail side elevation illustrating a slightly-modified form of Referring especially to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of boiler suitably mounted and provided with the usual grate-bars 2 and fire-doors 3. The ash-pit 4 is shown provided with swinging doors 5 and connected by a plurality of airconduits 6 with a space behind the bridgewall 7, said conduits being preferably arranged to discharge along the path of the productsof combustion adjacent thereto. A pipe 7, provided with valves 8 and 9, conducts steam from any suitable portion of the boiler to a cross-pipe 10, which latteris shown embedded in the bridge-wall andprovided with a nozzle 11, arranged substantially axially in each of said air-conduitsnear its discharge end. The entrance end of each airconduit is controlled by a damper or door 12, the several doors being shown secured to a common actuating-rod 13. A side bar 14 is journaled in suitable supports 15 in position to actuate the steam-valve 9 and carries a crank 16, operatively connected to the common actuating-rod 13, as by a rod 17 and weighted lever 18, secured to the rod 13. A crank 19 on the side bar 14: is connected by a. link 20 to a crank 21 on afront rod 22, which latter is suitably journaled at 23. A crank 24 on the front rod is shown connected by a link 25 to a crank 26 on a common pivotal support 27 of the ash-pit doors 5, A fluidactuated regulator 28 is shown connected by an inlet-pipe 29with any suitable source of motive fluid, such as the boiler feed-pipe, and with an exhaust-pipe 30.- The piston-rod 31 of such regulator is connected by a link 32 to a crank 33 on the front rod 22 for actuating the latter upon movement of said piston. An oscillating disk valve 34, carrying channeled extensions 35, is shown positioned for controlling the admission-ports 36 and exhaustport 37 of the'regulator, (see especially Figs. 1, 5, and 6,) and a regulating-valve 38 is provided with a threaded stem 39 to permit its adjustment for varying the size of the exhaust-port orifice, and thereby controlling the 9 rate ofmovement of the variator-piston. A

, pitman-rod 4:0 is shown pivotally connected at 11 to one of the fire-doors 3 and suitably engaging a crank 42 on the spindle 43 of the variator-valve 34: for actuating said valve upon movement of the fire-door.

In the operation of my invention the parts are suitably arranged to permit admission to the conduits 6 of the proper proportions of air and steam for normal running. The steamvalve 8 is then preferably closed and a fire built on the grate-bars in the usual manner. After the steampressure generated in the boiler has been raised sufficiently to produce an efficient action of the steam jets or nozzles 11 the valve.8 is opened, thus admitting steam to such nozzles. It will be noted that prior to the generation of steam in the boiler a portion of air will be drawn through the conduits 6 by the natural draft of the furnace and will tend to complete the combustion of the proclnets of combustion flowing over the bridgewall and that after suflicient steam-pressure has been generated in the boiler to produce an eflicient action of the jets 11 an increased amount of air will be drawn through the conduits 6 by the injector action of said jets and the desired amount of proper]y-proportioned mixture of air and steam for producing perfect combustion will be discharged into the products of combustion flowing past the discharge end of the conduits.

It will be noted that no metal parts are subjected to the direct action of the hot products of combustion, but that the steam-nozzles 11 are maintained at a high temperature by the heat transmitted through the walls of the airconduits 6. By thus imparting heat to the steam d uringits expansion all condensation incident to adiabatic expansion is prevented and the velocity of flow of the steam is materially increased, thereby providing a strong injector action, with aminimum consumption of steam. Further,by thus previously su perheating the steam it will be more readily decomposed into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen upon admixture with the hot products of combustion. The oxygen furnished by the air and steam discharged from the conduits 6 will unite with the products of incomplete combustion, such as carbonic oxid, and the hydrogen furnished by the decomposed steam will unite partly with the oxygen and partly with the products of incomplete combustion to produce water and hydrocarbons, which last Will probably subsequently combine with/ oxygen, thus insuring complete combustion of the fuel.

ln the above-described normal operation of the furnace the fire-doors 3 are closed and the valve 3 1 is shifted by the pitman 10 in position to maintain the piston-rod 31 of the variator in its upper position, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4. When it is desired to fire the furnace, the lire-door 3, which carries the pitman 4:0, is first opened, thereby shifting the valve 34 into positionfor causing the descent of the piston-rod 31 to its lowest position. Such descent of the piston-rod will swing the front rod 22 in its bearings suifiduits 6 and correspondingly increasing the force of the draft. In this position of the parts with the ash-pit doors closed the injector action of the steam-jets 11 will produce a sufficient reduction of pressure in the ash-pit 4 to draw the cold air entering through the open fire-doors 3 downward into said ash-pit through the bed of fuel supported on the grate-bars. This causes the furnace to act on the downdraft principle and insures complete combustion of the products of combustion in their passage through the lower layers of incandescent fuel on the grate-bars and in the subsequent intimate admixture of the hot air and gases discharged from the conduits. Means for thus automatically deflecting through the bed of incandescent material the cold air entering the fire-doors during the operation of firing is an important part of my invention and eliminates the troublesome esscape of smoke through the furnace stack occasioned in previous constructions of smoke consumers by the inrush of cold air through the open fire-doors over the relatively cool layers of recently-fired fuel during the operation of firing.

After sufficient fuel has been charged into the furnace in the operation of firing the firedoors 3 are closed, thereby shifting the variator-valve into position to elevate and mainpurpose the variator is provided with an ad justable regulating-valve 38, adapted torvary the size of the exhaust-port orifice, and thereby regulating the velocity of movement of the variator-piston. For example, the exhaust-port 37 of the variator may be suffi piston.

The dampers 12, which control the entranceorifices of the conduit 6 in my construction, may be dispensed with by decreasing the area of said conduits, and such modified construction is especially adapted to certain practical conditions of operationas, for example, those in which a thin bed of fuel is maintained on the grate-bars.

In my preferred construction the variatorvalve 34 is actuated from only one of the firedoors, and in the operation of firing such fire-door is the first opened and the last closed; but it is obvious that the variator-valve could be operatively connected to both fire-doors, if desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, is.-

1. In a furnace provided with the usual ashpit and bridge-wall, the combination of. conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall, adjustable means constructed to cause a flow of fluid through said conduits, whereby air will be drawn from the ash-pit, adjustable means constructed to control the admission of air to the ash-pit, and a common operating means constructed to actuate said several adjustable means, substantially as described. a

2. In a furnace provided with the usual ashpit and bridge-wall, the combination of conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall, adjustable means constructed to cause an injector discharge of fluid. through said conduits, whereby air will be drawn from the ashpit, adjustable means constructed to control the admission of air to the ash-pit, and a common operating means constructed to actuate said several adjustable means, substantially as described.

3. In a furnace provided with the usual ashpit and bridge-wall, the combination of conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall, adjustable means constructed to cause a flow of fluid through said conduits, whereby air will be drawn from the ash-pit, adjustable means constructed to control the admission of air to the ash-pit, and a common operating air-admission means, and means connecting said common operating means and the firedoor of the furnace and constructed to set the common operating means in operation upon movement of the fire-door, substantially as described.

5. In a furnace provided with the usual ashpit and bridge-wall, the combination of conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall, adjustable means constructed to cause a flow of fluid through said conduits, whereby air will be drawn from the ash-pit, adjustable means constructed to control the entranceorifices of said conduits, adjustable means constructed to control the admission of air to the ash-pit, and a common operating means constructed to actuate said several adjustable means, substantially as described.

6. In a furnace provided with the usual ash pit and bridge-wall, the combination of conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridgewall, means constructed to control a fluid flow through said conduits whereby air will be drawn from the ash-pit, means constructed to control the entrance-orifices of said conduits, means constructed to control the admission of air to the ash-pit, a common operating means, adjustable connections between said common operating means and said several controlling means, means connecting said common operating means and the fire-door of the furnace and constructed to set the common operating means in operation upon movement of the firedoor, substantially as described.

7. In a furnace provided with the usual ashpit and bridge-wall, the combination of conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at therear of the bridge-wall, means constructed to control an injector discharge through said conduits whereby air will be drawn from the ash-pit, means constructed to control the entrance-orifices of said conduits, means constructed to control the admission of air to the ash-pit, a common operating means, adjustable connections between said common operating means and said several controlling means, means connecting said common operating means and the fire-door of the furnace and constructed to set the com mon operating means in operation upon movement of the fire-door, substantially as described.

8. In a furnace provided with the usual ashpit and bridge-wall, the combination of conduits leading from the ash-pit and constructed to discharge at the rear of the bridge-wall, means constructed to cause an injector discharge of fluid through said conduits whereby air will be drawn from the ash-pit, means constructed to control the admission of air to the ash-pit, a common operating means, connections between said common operating In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES B. BARRETT WVitnesses:

W. 0. LONG, A. L. KNEE. 

